Author Archives: Ignacio
Social Work Self-Care: Healthy Eating, Exercise Tracking on Lose It app
Welcome to the New Year! The old one always ends with some sparking beverages and hopes for positive changes. Whether it’s the New Year or a certain stage in your life, an effort for change to secure your health is always welcomed!
Lose It! is a free weight loss program that assists you in tracking calories and exercise, and increases motivation by setting personal health goals so that you can lose weight. It currently comes in iOS (iPhone and iPod Touch only), mobile web (i.e. iOS Safari), Android, and web-app (i.e. you can access it via the internet) flavors and is free to download.
Problem: Unhealthy Eating Behaviors
Sometimes, as human beings (and not just social workers), we may overeat, overindulge, and not exercise enough. For social workers, it is especially important to consider our needs to nourish our mind, body, and spirit to prevent burnout and so that we can serve our clients well.
Sometimes, fun times can lead to a Super caloric intake
For some of us, this manifests in sitting 8 hours in our office environments, sitting during our lunch breaks, and scurry home to handle the rest of our personal obligations. For some of us, nary a shred of attention is put into our self-care.
Goal: Increase Healthy Eating Behaviors
The behavior that this app intends to help you change is eating and exercising behaviors, as calorie intake is monitored and exercise is encouraged (facilitating calorie burning).
Change Theory
I think it would be a great idea to familiarize / refresh you with change theory, as it applies to use of this application in context of self-care and social work practice. Prochaska & DiClementi (1983) proposed the following model:
As you can see, there are various stages of the model (and the behavior expected of the person experiencing change):
- Precontemplation: No intention of changing behavior; the person may be unaware that there’s a problem
- Contemplation: The person becomes aware that there is a problem, but has made no commitment to change
- Preparation: The person is intent on taking action to correct the problem
- Action: The person is in active modification of behavior
- Maintenance: Sustained change occurs and new behavior(s) replaces old ones. Per this model, this stage is also transitional
- Relapse: The person falls back into old patterns of behavior
- Precontemplation: The person may be unaware that there’s a problem, thus there is no intention to change behavior.
For me, successful weight loss has happened when I have hit “bottom”. And while the “Relapse” stage may look like the failure of healthy eating behavior, hitting rock bottom can be placed between “Contemplation” (assessing the extent of the problem) and “Preparation” (planning to make a desired change).
Self Efficacy
If one considers the notion of self-efficacy, people (including our clients and ourselves) get things done when they feel that they are capable of achieving a certain task. Lose It makes it easy to track calorie intake and exercise to help one facilitate healthy weight loss behaviors.
Intervention
Lose It! helps you track calories in (food consumed) and calories out (i.e. burned by exercise). In however you log your food or exercise, it is very easy to input your progress via phone application if on the go or by the website if you are at your desk. Lose It has an extensive food library and will easily save any food you input for your plan.
Lose It! Home Page
Social Interactions
One of the main reasons I really like LoseIt! is that it has a social media component to it where you can add friends and acquaintances that are also on LoseIt! Like Facebook, a user can see what activities their friends are up to (e.g. any weight loss recorded), and leave comments and encouragement.
Forum
Also worth noting is that the site has a wonderful Forum in which users can interact with others who are currently losing. Much like group work, this type of interaction is a great motivator that can help to sustain positive changes in eating and exercising behaviors.
Reminders, Badges, and other Motivators
In addition to the ease of logging food/exercise and the social component to the site, Lose It! has little motivational “stickers” or badges that they affix on the user’s page upon completing certain tasks.
Although digital and not tangible, when a user finds that they have “unlocked” an achievement, it may act as a motivator to continue with the healthy behaviors.
Response
Having been on this weight loss program and Weight Watchers, there are merits to both.
Lose It versus Weight Watchers
- Lose It! is free, while Weight Watchers costs money. For social work students and clients, money is a factor in the decisions we make.
- Weight Watchers encourages you to eat a guideline of certain foods (i.e. a specific number of servings of fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy, healthy oils, etc.), this program simply keeps count of your calorie intake and calorie output without any special attention being paid to these other vital areas of nutrition. This is where a physician or nutritionist’s intervention would come in handy.
- Weight Watchers meetings are face-to-face and have Leaders that are encouraging and knowledgeable about the eternal struggle of losing weight. Those familiar with clinical group work know how encouraging a face-to-face meeting may be in continuing with a common struggle.
- On Lose It!, the online community on the site’s message boards become your main source of encouragement if you need it (although Weight Watchers has this too if you sign up for a certain type of plan). This can be as valuable as a face-to-face meeting to those who prefer to not go to meetings.
- Per their marketing, Weight Watchers has an advisory board of physicians that have tweaked and modified their weight loss plan. Lose It! simply uses the old formula that your body burns a certain amount of energy in a day and that to lose weight, you have to eat slightly under that budget.
- Both plans allow you to eat what you want and encourage moderation.
For Clients
Lose It! may be a good web app for a client:
- Expressing a desire to eat healthy and increase exercise
- Under the care of a physician who has advised the client to lose weight for health-related reasons (i.e. diabetes, elevated cholesterol)
- With technical skills and access to internet on their home computer.
Again, this intervention is for your consideration and it is up to you and your supervisor(s) to evaluate the advise given here and act in a clinically/ethically appropriate manner.
Clinical Impression
For social workers, it is especially important to consider our needs to nourish our mind, body, and spirit to prevent burnout and so that we can serve our clients well. If one considers self-efficacy theory, people (including our clients and ourselves) get things done when they feel that they are capable of achieving a certain task. For me, Lose it! has previously made me feel as if I was in control of my eating and exercise behaviors. And it is free!
Overall Grade
This product is free, amazing, and has 100% the iggyp-Seal-of-Approval
Happy 2012 (And Fare-thee-well 2011)
I have seen many people reflecting negatively on the year 2011 on the various social media sites that I frequent.
Social Work Tech Blog has had an amazing year and I credit you, the faithful reader, follower, and colleague.
Accomplishments
Quality Blog Articles
I have posted approximately 28 blog posts in the year 2011. Although I wish that number was higher, I am very proud of the work that I have done, as they are a time-consuming labor of love.
- January: My iPad and Me in Social Work Practice… Chapter 2: Video Testimonial - Using my iPad in Social Work Practice
- February: My Psychoeducational Films – An overview of an intervention I made for my final-year MSW field placement
- March: Keeping it Low-Tech with Field Notes Brand - Why I choose low-tech over trying to take notes on my iPad
- April: The Biggest Favor You Could Ever Do For Yourself as an MSW or BSW Student [Dropbox] - A warning to back up your files!
- May: Making a Self-Care Plan [on Brushes for iPad] - The most-read post in 2011!
- June: The Award-Winning iggyp: Psychoeducation Video Project [Intervention] - An overview of the end result of the intervention I presented in February
- July: Social Work Tech Practice: Digital Resources on the Web – July 2011 -
- August: Observing Your Session Using Tech Tools -
- September: 10 Ideas for Using Evernote in Social Work Practice – Expanding your social work practice!
- October: Ask Iggy: Using Dropbox Vs. Evernote – an Iggy-explanation of how I use two great (free!) services!
- November: Your Online Identity Scares Me: Social Work and Online Behaviors
- December: App Review: Meditation Apps by Meditation Oasis for Social Work Practice
Views on My Blog
I haven’t yet gotten my end-of-the-year summary from WordPress telling me how many Air Carriers worth of viewers have come here, but it has been a lot!
I have had several days in a row of 100+ views and it is very astounding and encouraging!
Connections to Awesome Colleagues
Through Twitter, I have made some very wonderful connections! (Please See my Thank Yous below).
A special thanks to @DorleeM who interviewed me for her blog!
I Got My MSW!
I will give a $5 iTunes card to the first person that can find the error on this diploma
Two years in graduate school went by like a cake-walk, although forementioned statement negates all of the blood, sweat, and tears that I put into my degree. Nevertheless, between finishing up final projects, preparing for graduation, running out of financial aid, and finding a new job, I made it! I am very happy that I worked as hard as I have to have made it!
Check out the final-year and award-winning final-year field project!
I got business cards!
I thought this was a bit haughty, but in attending a few conferences, my business cards complimented the “elevator pitch” I have made with new colleagues with the work I am doing on my blog.Thank You’s
Thank you to everyone that has ever stopped by, subscribed, liked my page on Facebook, left a comment, retweeted me, sent me an email, and/or have had a supporting thought in your being for my website.
Thank you to my colleagues that have told other colleagues about my blog.
Thank you to the colleagues that have seen this blog and have learned something from this blog that you considered or implmented.
Individuals
DrHubaEvaluator: Thank you for your wonderful support of me and for all the interesting links you tweet!
SocialWorkPodcast: Thank you for another year of a wonderful podcast that everyone should be listening to!
TheNewSocialWorker: Thank you for a wonderful periodical that I love reading on my iPad! (see what I did there!? )
Looking Forward to 2012
I’m hoping to accomplish a few things in 2012!
I hope to:
1. Update at least monthly, with the hope that I can post at least twice per month!
2. Continue building HackSocialWork, my side-project that is not so much technology-oriented, but a site in which I can teach social workers to be the best at social work practice!
3. Continue stimulating your thought and creativity!
4. Review more apps, software, gadgets that can help you with your social work practice!
5. Provide more free content to add to your social work toolbox/toolkit!
6. Finish an ebook about social work, technology, and things in which I have expertise.
My blog is truly a labor of love and I would have never guessed that I would be blessed with the fruits that have bloomed this year!
App Review: Meditation Apps by Meditation Oasis for Social Work Practice
I have been asked to share some of the apps that I use in Social Work Tech Practice.
Meditation Oasis is a company that provides a variety of guided meditation services and products. I have bought a few of their iOS apps and would recommend them for your own mindfulness practice and for clients who have been introduced by you, dear clinician, case worker, social worker, or other type of mental health professional!
It should be noted that the company also makes apps for Android, Blackberry, and Windows phone Devices! I chose three of their many apps for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to review!
The Three Apps That I Use
In addition to the various mental health benefits that can be derived from meditation, I have embraced meditation as a valid spiritual practice for myself due to the fact that I feel very grounded, clear-minded, focused, and at peace when I am mindful (a type of meditative practice).
Simply Being – $0.99 [app store link]
For those hesitant to try the meditation apps outlined here, I would recommend starting with this app, as it was the first one that I purchased and provides mindfulness meditations of different lengths of time.
One does not have to be experienced in meditation to enjoy the benefits of this app.
Relax and Rest – $0.99 [app store link]
I downloaded this app after downloading SimplyBeing.
This app also offers a variety of guided meditations that are focused on rest and relaxation (i.e diminishing stress and anxiety).
What has worked for me is the deep rest meditation (13 minutes) which has helped me to calm my mind and fall into deep and refreshing sleep.
Again, this app does not require prior meditation experience.
Meditation Oasis – $2.99 [app store link]
This app offers over 30 guided meditations, many of which are offered through the Meditation Oasis website. This one is a gold mine for those that want different types of meditation (e.g. stimulating creativity, meditation for anger, mini break for work or study, etc.)
Functions
The three above-mentioned apps serve different functions. It should be also noted that these apps have both iPhone and iPod Touch and iPad functionality which makes them a great investment if you have a combination of the three devices!
The three apps have simple start screens and offers instructions on how to use the application and how to meditate.
For the first two applications highlighted below, it takes approximately three finger taps to set up the meditation and is very user friendly!
Simply Being
Simply Being offers a mindfulness-type guided meditation that encourages the user to be present minded and invite the user to focus on his or her breath.
The user has a variety of options to tailor their meditation for sound (voice only, voice + music, voice + nature sounds) as well as length of meditation (5, 10, or 15 minutes).
Relax and Rest
Relax and Rest offers three types of guided meditation that leads the user into relaxing deeply.
As with SimplyBeing, the user has a variety of options to tailor their meditation for sound (voice only, voice + music, voice + nature sounds).
This app also has three different types of meditations which include Breath, Deep Rest, and Whole Body meditations at 5, 13, or 24 minutes, respectively.
Meditation Oasis
The Meditation Oasis app allows for access to many guided meditations that have been posted on the Meditation Oasis website. This app does not have the sound files embedded into the app, thus an internet connection is required.
Just a sampling of the accessible meditations.
Despite for a need to be connected to the internet, one can access these podcasts without an internet connection. By starring a mediation (marking as a favorite), the app will download that particular meditation (i.e sound file) to your device for later use.
At the very top, the app tells you how much space it has used and how much is available on your device
Just be forewarned that the app will consume space on your iDevice for each sound file it has to store.
It should be noted that due to having more features and functionality, this app is a little more complex than the previous two, but is also very user friendly.
Benefits
A few reasons you should consider purchasing these apps:
Low-Priced
The apps I have presented are very low-priced as compared to other apps I have downloaded off of the app store for much higher cost and much lower quality. 99 cents is a steal for what you get with these apps.
For Practice
Much more experienced psychotherapists may not rely on these as much as the novice clinician would. That being said, when properly introduced to meditation, what it is, and the proper mental preparation going into it, I have seen the app work just as well with clients as with me leading the meditation.
Client Self-Efficacy
As previously mentioned, one can be at various levels of meditation to appreciate these apps. While not guaranteed, a client may be motivated to continue with this self-soothing technique if they feel any benefits in session with you.
Your Own Self-Care
Social workers are in need of maintaining their self-care through this self-soothing technique of meditation. Especially with considering the degree which our jobs can become stressful, overwhelming and/or emotionally draining.
Due to the fact that I am not an “expert” meditator, I have not achieved the ability for myself to sit still and guide myself. When possible, I will take a time out, isolate myself properly (sign on the door), and sit in a guided meditation using the SimplyBeing app for 10 minutes. After sitting, I tend to feel better.
Social Work Self-Care Self-Efficacy.
Much like with our clients, social workers (and other helping professionals) may be motivated to continue with this self-soothing technique if they feel any benefits in their own meditative practice!
Needs for Improvement
The apps are very simple and to-the-point, but the apps could use some improvement. These pertain mostly to the SimplyBeing and Relax & Rest apps.
No Timer/Progression Bar
This is important if I am leading a client in session and want to be aware of how much more time I have left in the meditation.
Nudging the App
If you accidentally nudge the settings on the app, you will have to start your meditation all over!
User Advisory
If using your iPhone in session or for your own self-care, please remember to put it in Airplane Mode to prohibit an incoming call from interrupting your meditation session.
Recommendations: The Social Work Tech Way
The way I have used these apps (prior to abandoning them due to having developed my own skill at leading a meditation) is using the following method of intervention:
1. Introduce Meditation to the Client
For mindfulness, I typically might say something like, “This type of meditation is structured in a way to be present-minded… acknowledging your breath, any sounds you might hear, and not focusing on anything else. If your thoughts start to wander or new thoughts come into your mind, gently acknowledge them – without judgement – and let them flutter away”.
2. Lead The Client to a Meditative Posture
This posture should be:
- “Grounded, with the bottom of your feet connected to the ground.”
- “Dignified, like a king or queen on his or her throne”, and
- “Comfortable, so that you can ease into relaxation”
3. Introduce the Singing Bowl
I usually have a real singing bowl (although there is an app for that) and inform the client that we are starting the meditation by bring our thoughts to the present .
4. The Singing Bowl is gently struck and the Recording is Started
If you have never struck a singing bowl, you might want to practice if you aren’t used to it!
5. At the end of the recording, gently strike the singing bowl again
This is done to gently bring the client back to the session.
6. Optional: Follow-Up with Client
Follow-up with the client if you feel a need to determine the extent to which the intervention impacted client.
Ethical Considerations
Please consult with your clinical supervisor, as the information presented in this post does not constitute clinical advice or consultation.
Clinically
I do not foresee any problems with leading a client in meditation in the afore-described manner I have just outlined.
I tend to use these meditations for clients experiencing anxiety or depressed mood, although I would strongly advise caution with clients that may have PTSD or other highly impacting anxiety/cognitive disorders as their presenting problems.
Client-Centered Concerns
As far as recommending this app to a client, I would like for you to remember that these apps are tools for you, the social worker, to use. If the client buys into the exercise as much as you have, you will most likely have the success I have experienced.
That being said, I have not offered my clients the name of the app or have told them to buy it unless they ask me for information. I do not stand to gain financially from their purchase of the app and I do not want them to feel obligated to buy the app when there are other free websites out there that a simple Google search can yield similar free content.
About My Recommendation
My recommendation for these apps stands solid as of 12/07/2011 and I have received no compensation, financial or otherwise, for this article. Please read my disclosure about product reviews here.
Do You Use Any Apps with your Clients in Session?
Your Online Identity Scares Me: Social Work and Online Behaviors
[This was supposed to be posted on Halloween, but I got busy. Today, in homage to Dia De Los Muertos, I present to you this post as proof that my blog isn't dead yet ]
Ah, Halloween. When I think of thee, I think of candle-scorched pumpkin-flesh smell, insulin shock, and the fun in being scared with fake blood and monsters. To celebrate Halloween, the Social Work Tech Guy wants to share one legitimately scary thing in relation to Social Work and Tech.
Your Online Identity
It seems like all of us have Facebook, many of us have Twitter (my favorite of the bunch), and some of us even have our own non-professional WordPress or Tumblr websites. These social websites are a great way to connect with friends, strangers, and people who share similar interests. Some folks I consider to be the best of friends have come from online acquaintanceship.
A brief rundown of aforementioned sites:
- Facebook: a great site if you want to keep in touch with people in your life from the present and past.
- Twitter: much more future-oriented and distraction-free (i.e. no updates on my timeline about your virtual farm) with limits of up to 140 characters per tweet.
- Tumblr: inappropriateness mixed with poignancy, integrated with meaningful relationships.
- WordPress: a platform that allows one to present creative, professional, and meaningful ideas to the masses without looking cheap.
As demonstrated, our online identity allows for us to use different websites to put ourselves out there. As social workers, this can be problematic.
Identifying Yourself as a Social Worker
When identifying ourselves as social workers in our private social media lives, we run several risks, especially when we are found by our colleagues, bosses, and heaven-forbid our clients:
- Judgement upon us for the work that we do – “Is this person qualified to be working with [insert special population here]?”
- Questioning of our professionalism – “OMG! Did s/he really just tweet that?”
- Reinforcing stereotypes that social work professionals are flawed persons – “Why is this person intervening with my relationship when they’re talking about the destructive parts about their own?”
- Having our intentions questioned – “Why is this person tweeting about this client?” or! “Am I the client that this social worker just tweeted about?”
- Opening Ourselves up to attack with those who have previously had negative social worker experiences – “I’m going to judge everything this person does [e.g. drinking, partying behaviors, etc.] because one of them took away my niece and put her up for adoption”
My best advice is, unless you are going to tweet as a professional, do not identify yourself as a social work (or social care) professional.
Here’s an example of a professional who tweets and identifies as a social worker:
And some tweets with commentary!
Identifying milestones and shortcomings in a professional manner
Professional Growth
Taking responsibility and growing up!
This was a very exciting day for me!
I love it when the President acknowledges social workers!
Discussing Yourself, i.e. Over-sharing
Not SocialJerkBlog 
- Your sex life, including behaviors/kinks/conquests/etc.
- Your drinking behaviors, including your epic partying shenanigans
- The N-word (I have seen a few twittering social workers have this on their profiles or retweets)
- Opinions that can be considered oppressive to cultures, peoples, genders, etc. that people can identify with
- Anything having to do with your clients (expanded on the next section)
I wanted to add “talking badly about your employer” to the list, but I am sure everyone needs to vent – although this can lead to unexpected, undesired, and unintentional consequences to you.
- Keep in mind that posting nude (or semi-nude) pictures of yourself or dressing provocatively may also be considered inappropriate and may lead to very unwanted situations
A profile description, heavy on satire, light on class
I blocked out the potty-mouth language, but here s/he is tweeting about getting older.
Tweeting about work... still, indicative of a social worker... sort of... We're not the only ones to assess Axis II clients.
Tweeting about watching MTV... may negate the smarty-pants vibe presented in the user's profile.
Discussing Your Clients, i.e. Being Unethical
I have an online social work colleague that brought to my attention that I had broken my rule about tweeting about clients by tweeting about clients. Specifically, I tweeted something unfavorable a grievance about the work I was doing and I thought I was safe, due to posting this in a location I thought was blocked. In hindsight, it was very unethical.
Things I [try so hard to] avoid:
- Discussing a client, period.
- Discussing my opinion of a client, favorable or otherwise.
- Discussing specific interventions that I have done with a client (e.g. a tweet: “I just helped a client weigh pros versus cons about staying in her abusive relationship” <- NO!)
- Discussing specific topics of conversation with the client (e.g. a tweet: “A client talked to me about his severe anxiety and it totally bummed me out” <- NO!)
- Why you are experiencing countertransference, conflicting emotions, or cognitive dissonance as it relates to your client
The one person who does blogging in this capacity correctly is SocialJerkBlog. She is anonymous, has honest reflections, and cannot be pinpointed as to who she is or who she works for. Furthermore, she represents an honest reflection of an honest social worker but does not degrade our profession in her description of her work. I salute you, boo
If possible, I would avoid talking about your clients online, altogether to maintain appropriate boundaries. In a later section, I will discuss this in the context of the NASW Code of Ethics.
Giving Away Your Location
With sites such as FourSquare, Gowalla, and Facebook allowing you to “check in” to locations, I fear being found out and tracked by a company or individuals who can then decipher my behaviors of picking up my morning bagel here, grabbing lunch there, having a brew with friends out yonder. This can possibly be classified as over-sharing and may turn problematic if you are checking in to the same bar on consecutive days. When people assume that you are at the bar to get drunk and not to meet with friends, messages can be mixed up.
Bonus Tip: If you own a website ending in .com or .org (or etc.), you may want to invest in a PO Box or use a different address than your home address when you register your site. Due to the fact that websites can identify other website owners (by using Google to search “whois” and “domain”) your address is in the public domain.
- Only link to those that you absolutely trust.
- Lock down your privacy so that only your friends can see you and only those that have your personal email can find you.
- Assume that everything you say/do/link-to/etc with Facebook will one day be read aloud at an ethics hearing.
Potential Issues and Ethical Concerns
Quite possibly the saddest photoshop job ever
Consider how the NASW Code of Ethics for the Profession of Social Work plays into your online behavior.
How can one adhere to the Values (and Ethical Principles) (NASW 2008) of:
- the social worker is not honoring their client and disparaging them?
- online behavior can lead to a detrimental relationship due to aforementioned undesireable behaviors?
- your identity online as a social work professional affects how people perceive the entire profession?
Might I suggest, as an intervention, that you check out your online behavior as it correlates to Ethical Standard #1 in the Code of Ethics that outlines Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities To Clients?
Take it easy out there! Tweet well, do good work, and keep in touch*.**
*A play on the trademarked words by Garrison Keillor on “The Writer’s Almanac”.
** comment
What is a Web App? A Guide for the Social Work Tech Practitioner
A web-app is run on the website’s server and delivered to you in an aesthetic manner. If you use any of Google’s services, including search, Gmail, Docs, etc., then congratulations, you’ve used a web app!
Some *FREE* web apps that I will be reviewing in the near future (in a social work tech practice context include):
A website that helps you lose weight by helping you track your calorie intake and exercise.
What type of Web Apps do you use?
Please let me know in the comments!
